Christine M. Terrell

When Christine entered the world, she faced an uphill battle. Climbing a mountain from base camp is no easy feat, and finding our way in this life can be even more difficult. She looked at the task ahead of her, said, “Bet me!” And found the fortitude to face the climb with everything she had. She forged a path that allows her family to follow, and found adventure along the way. Christine summited her mountain and found peace on Saturday, August 13th, 2022 surrounded by all members of her immediate family. Now that she is sunbathing in Hawaii, or shooting spit-balls from the clouds, let's look back and remember the incredible life of Chris.

Christine Maree Terrell was born in Salt Lake City, UT on June 1, 1946. The second oldest of ten children, she had the great responsibility of helping to care for her younger siblings. Though her youth was tumultuous, she was a rock for her family; someone whom her siblings could depend upon. It was difficult for her to reflect on her childhood, but the love and loyalty she felt for her family was unwavering throughout her lifetime.

While attending West High School, Christine was asked on a double date. As she sat in the back seat of a car, the young man who was not her date for the evening laid his front passenger seat back and, to her surprise, stole a kiss. He later told his friend, “She’s mine!” This flirtatious boy ended up being the love of her life, Jim Terrell. Their courtship was short, and Jim and Christine married before she began her Senior year of high school. She always said that Jim had “rescued her,” and continued to echo this sentiment as they loved and cared for each other through 58 years of marriage.

Christine and Jim had two sons together, Dan and Chris. With two young boys in tow, they decided to build their dream home, a cabin in Summit Park of Park City, UT. It was during this time that she would create some of her most cherished memories: being a mom. Being the mother of two boys certainly kept her on her toes! She would regale the days when she’d come home to find animal hides tanning on the deck, drums and guitars filling the house with noise (eventually becoming actual music), fighting over Nintendo 64, motocross weekends, wet floors after snowboarding, and many broken bones. There was never a dull moment for the Terrells while raising their family, and while the messes were never-ending, she loved being a “boy mom.”

Over time, their mountain cabin would house many special moments that Christine held dear to her heart: holidays and birthday cakes with the grandchildren, her son Christopher’s wedding, “happy hours” spent laughing with family and friends, and the occasional Sasquatch sighting (which became the topic of many of her grandchildren’s dreams and nightmares). Grandma's house was a place where you learned to swing a slinky down the stairs, play hide and seek in the closets, build Legos until your fingers hurt, practice leaps and turns in the big family room, play pretend in the mini McDonald’s drive-through, and race hot wheel cars across the kitchen floor. As we grew, it became a place to visit, to cry, to feel heard and understood. It was a place we could sleep when we needed respite from our own lives or just a banana split with hot fudge. Grandma’s house was everyone’s home; a place to find comfort.

In her life away from home, Christine worked at OC Tanner in Salt Lake City. It was here that she would meet life-long friends, “the girls” as she affectionately called them. Whether these ladies or the many other kindred spirits met over the years, Christine’s friendships were significant and important to her. She loved giving birthday, holiday, and “just because” gifts, not out of obligation- but because she wanted people to know she was thinking about them. Seeing her beautiful scrawl on a card sent in the mail made everyone feel special, and now something we will all miss dearly. It is rare to find a person who works so hard to make other people feel special and loved. Christine was that rarity.

While time may cause others to slow, Christine’s calendar remained full: lunch with the girlfriends, granddaughter’s dance recitals, graduations, trips cross country to see family, birthday and anniversary parties, etc. She made every attempt to support, celebrate, and be present. It was never a question whether you’d have someone there to cheer you on and let you know just how loved you were.

It is impossible to share all the ways and memories that made Christine the incredible wife, mother, grandmother, and friend that she was. It would be even more difficult to express just how loved is. We will never stop missing her, but we will honor her and remember her daily. When we see a giant sunflower, observe light shining through stained glass, eat a piece of birthday cake, or smell pine trees, we’ll think of her.

When you summit your mountain, if you look back to find a view as beautiful and majestic as Christine’s life, you’ll know the climb was worthwhile.

A celebratory wake will be held in Christine’s honor at Starks Funeral Parlor on Tuesday, August 23, 2022 from 6pm – 8pm. Guests are encouraged to wear color to pay tribute to Christine’s fun, vibrant personality. Christine is survived by her loving husband Jim, as well as Dan (Shelby, Jaime, Ryan, Cory, Jake, Mabel, Kenny, K’Leigh, additionally Scarlett and Lincoln), Christopher (Emily, Evan, Philip), Roxanne, Shannon, Stephanie, Phillip, Paul, Kevin, Janie, Darren, and many other extended family and friends.